CHAPTER SEVEN- Small Town Timing
She wasn't accustomed to silence, and the diner, now in that first hour when most people were at work, was very silent. Usually, Lorelai knew, she herself was filling that silence, chattering to Rory or Luke or anyone who would listen, and occasionally that silence would be broken by Rory talking about her plans for the day ahead.
But now, the lone occupant at the long counter, Lorelai had nothing to say, and found that was all right. The silence was comfortable, in a weird, sort of way. She much preferred this silence, watching Luke wipe off the counter in long, steady strokes, than the silences that sometimes prevailed at the long table at her parents' home. Her sips fell into a rhythm, and Lorelai found herself concentrating, of all things, on Luke's hands, moving back and forth and back and forth over the counter.
It made for a nice distraction, after all. It was certainly better than thinking about the big, cheating, loutish, virginity-stealing, amoral goon Luke had thrown out.
Back to the hands, she told herself, taking down a gulp of coffee just a bit too fast.
Had she ever noticed before how nice his hands were? How they looked strong and capable and completely harmless?
They sure didn't feel harmless when they were all over you the other night, did they?
Lorelai choked on the coffee she was swallowing and wondered how a woman her age could lose control of her hormones over a man she'd known for years.
Luke looked up at the sputtering noise she made, then rolled his eyes a little. After all, it wouldn't do to look too soft. She'd had too many pushovers, too many weak excuses for men with bigger bank accounts than brains and who had never had to lift a finger for anything in their lives. It had never once failed to astound him that a woman so in touch with her own strength and her own ability, a woman who had rebuilt herself by sheer elbow grease and nonstop chatter, could end up with men who had never once worked with their hands.
It had never once failed to make him jealous, and as he stood at the counter, Luke unconsciously curled his fingers into his palms to hide the calluses.
What was he thinking, trying to aspire to her?
The bell over the door rang and he hastily shoved the thoughts away along with the towel, taking his order pad out of his pants. If they didn't know what they wanted, they'd get a few minutes' reprieve, and he was back to stand watch.
Luke looked at his newest patron and snapped his fingers between his fingers.
Did anything happen normally in Stars Hollow? Luke thought not; it was too small a town, too tiny a place for things to progress with any normal sort of timeliness or anonymity. In this town, things didn't come in threes, they came in scores, and the hilarity just never stopped.
If there was one place in the entire world where Jason Stiles didn't fit in, this was it.
My turf now, Luke thought, and he never once thought to ponder over whether he meant the diner or the woman.
Luke was around the counter before Lorelai could turn around, blocking her view of the door and forming a none-too-small barrier between Jason and Lorelai. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried out a glower, completely aware it looked like his normal countenance.
"I need to speak with Lorelai," Jason said in the tones of a man accustomed to getting his way. "If you could just step aside for a few moments, I promise it won't take a bit of your time." He then had the gall—or poor luck—to hand Luke a dollar and add, "Here, I'll even buy a cup of coffee."
"You have got to be kidding me," Lorelai said loudly, not bothering to lower her voice. She'd wanted a confrontation, really and truly, and if Digger freakin' Stiles was going to bring it to her—well, she wasn't one to step down. She slammed down her coffee cup and tilted her head back, appearing to address the ceiling. "You never give up, do you?" she shouted, wondering if she were God's own personal form of amusement for the week. What had happened to quietude and looking at Luke's lovely hands?
"I don't have any coffee for you," Luke said, looking down at Jason and wondering why the guy just didn't give it up and shave. "You know, I had a dog once who had that problem," Luke thought out loud, stroking his face and nodding to Jason's facial hair. "A little motor oil cleared it right up."
Jason's face blanched, then turned red. "Lorelai, come on," he said plaintively, ducking his head and trying to look at her around Luke. "Tell me you're not going to let the… the diner guy sit here and play bouncer."
"You're right!" Lorelai exclaimed, standing up and physically wrenching Luke's arm out of its position so she could stand in front of Jason. "I guess I'm just gonna have to kick your butt myself." It sounded very, very tempting. The guy couldn't take a hint. But she had the sinking feeling that physically harming him would just make him revert to the playground, and he'd think she was trying to flirt with him.
Dear God, had she really dated him for so long?
And then she realized she'd stepped right under Luke's arm, effectively placing it over her shoulders.
Luke had his arm around her.
And for a moment (insane, she told herself, it's just insanity), she wanted to forget all about Jason and cuddle into that flannel, bury her nose in it and stay there.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," she said, shoving Luke's arm off her and glaring at him even though she knew damned good and well it was her fault. "Jason, I don't know how else to tell you, short of drawing up a legal document. It's over."
"It's circumstantial!" Jason exclaimed. He'd spent too long thinking about it to let her talk him out of it. No, he knew they'd only split up because of things around them, not because of any actual integral difference or emotional dearth. "Listen, Lorelai, relationships should never break up because of circumstances or situational reactions. It's all about core emotions."
Luke's expression was growing more and more incredulous by the moment. Did this guy actually say the words "situational reactions" while talking about relationships?
"Situational reactions?" Lorelai asked, huffing and narrowing her eyes. "Your reactions are, like, who you are, Jason. If you react to a cop by slapping him, it doesn't matter if you're a career criminal or Zsa Zsa Gabor, you know?"
That earned her looks from both men.
"Legal document it is, then," Lorelai said, sighing. She looked up at Luke then, trying to ignore the little thrill that went through her at the hard, combative look on her face. She was losing her mind, but she had to admit it felt rather nice. "All right, Bull, you can get back behind the bench again. Calm down." But Luke didn't budge.
Jason looked first at Lorelai, pleadingly, then at Luke, comprehension—or as much of it as he could muster—dawning. "Ohh. So that's what's going on here." He rolled his eyes. "Lor, come on. The diner guy? Are you really feeling that rebellious?"
And Luke did for the second time that day what had been nigh to unthinkable before. He took a patron by the arm and steered him for the door; this time, however, he was a great deal less gentle.
After all, he'd at least liked Dean once upon a time.
"Get your hands off me!" Jason sputtered, shocked. "You can't manhandle me! I have a right to be in here!"
"I can manhandle you all I want, pal, and you know why?" Luke asked, opening the door, stepping them both through it, and giving Jason a shove. "Because that's one of the advantages of being the diner guy. If I ever need to be thrown out of Rotary, then it'll be your turn."
Luke would be lying if he'd said he didn't feel at least some pleasure when the idiot tripped over the curb.
"Now I know what Jodi Foster felt like," Lorelai said, feeling wrung out. She'd just wanted a cup of coffee, and some time with Luke. It seemed even the simplest things in life—her daughter, her coffee, her best friend—had complicated themselves without much help from her. "Maybe I should warn Ronald Reagan about Jason."
Luke decided it wasn't the time to remind her of the former President's death, so he refilled her coffee instead.
"You didn't have to do that," she said, rolling the cup between her hands. It had made her feel… what? Not conflicted. No, in that fight, she'd have been clearly and completely on Luke's side. Weak? A little. She hadn't needed a man to stick up for her since…
Well, since ever. The last time a man had stuck up for her had been when her father had tussled with Straub, and even he hadn't been defending her so much as he'd just been defending his own family's honor.
"I do occasionally do things just to be nice," Luke snapped, setting clean plates on their racks with a hard snap of porcelain against porcelain.
She looked miserable, big dark, circles under shifting eyes, occasional sighs. And part of it was because of that guy he'd thrown out.
"I've been in your diner nearly every day for how many years? I've never caused you to throw people out before." She tilted her head. "Except for that time Dad went into the hospital." He didn't answer her, but began dumping sugar into canisters with a determined expression on his face. "I always thought I loved living in a small town, but now…"
It took his breath away, the simple act of leaving a sentence hanging as she had. Was it to come to this again, then? Lorelai taking Rachel's path and Rachel's defense? That she couldn't live in a place where everyone could see and judge her every move?
He couldn't take that again. It was just… too much. "Are you thinking about leaving?" he asked, choosing immediately the path he would take if he had to take it. "If you need to go, I can take you."
Lorelai stood, her mouth hanging open in what she knew was a completely unattractive and moronic gape, but she couldn't help it. "Luke, come on. That's ridiculous. You love Stars Hollow. This diner is your life, Luke. Don't say things like that." And that he'd follow her…
Well, it should have been romantic, but was this what romance felt like, this giddy, heart-accelerating, confusing fear?
She was afraid that was romance.
"There is more to my life than this diner," Luke responded, wondering when she'd just get it already. "And I do love Stars Hollow, but, Jesus, Lorelai, you know I—"
No, no, no, no, no… she could hear the words he was about to say, and worse, she could feel everything within her leaping in response. "I'm late for work," she said quickly, backing away from the counter and completely forgetting her purse. "Thanksforthemuffins," she said in a rush, and she ran out the door.